Gender Stereotypes in Advertising

In this Absolut ad gender roles are reversed in that the man pictured is pregnant while the woman appears to be drinking a martini. It’s an interesting take on role reversal for men and women even if it is biologically, nonsense.

While it is a clever ad, it is merely playing with the juxtaposition of roles and not necessarily countering them. Although, one could make the argument that this ad is empowering to women, in a normal situation the woman should not consume alcohol but since the traditional roles are reversed she is free to imbibe.

Axe is sticking true to the old advertisement motto: sex sells. Clearly the impression the consumer is supposed to come away with is that if you use this product you will be more attractive to the opposite sex.

This ad reinforces the gender stereotype that men are always looking to attract sexual interest while women are merely the objects that will play into their hands.

Stereotypical masculinity at it most mundane, this ad reinforces the gender role of men as athletes and in shape. The bicep “stitched” to look like a football only ads the idea of football as a rough, masculine sport suitable to manly men.

The text in this ad is also interesting since it an ad for a Danish American football team. The ad says, “American Football. The Tougher Football.” The context seeming to be that soccer is less of a man’s sport than American football.

I choose to include this ad because I thought it interesting that while it has little boys engaged in stereotypic boyish behavior the advertisement itself is aimed at parents. What is this ad saying to parents? That children should adhere to specified gender roles and that parent should encourage this?

The ad is innocuous enough; it features little boys playing in a garage, playing-fighting each other as many boys do. That being said it reflects the gender stereotype that boys play more violently than girls do and that this is how boys should play.

This ad reflects the gender stereotype of men as heavy drinkers while at the same time being aimed at women to try to get them to not drink like a “man.” The suggestion being that it is okay for men to drink heavily but not women because “you might end up looking like one.”

I think that not only is this ad offensive to both men and women but that it was just done in poor taste in general. It does no favors to either gender and makes assumptions about what gender roles should be.